Related Videos

Renan (Barao) Pegado staged his second successful interim bantamweight title defence, netting a spectacular TKO win over Eddie Wineland in the co-main event of UFC 165 at the Air Canada Centre on Saturday.

Wineland got off to a good start, though, backing Pegado up with punches throughout the first round and disrupting the Brazilian's rhythm.

In the second, Pegado cracked the inaugural WEC 135-pound titleholder with a spinning back kick to the face. He then delivered a series of punches on the mat, forcing referee Yves Lavigne to jump in and save Wineland.

"I don't practice that very often because you can hurt people," Pegado said through his translator. "But in my fights, I've always tried that.

"I'm just waiting for Dominick Cruz now."

The victory extends Pegado's unbeaten streak to 32 fights.

His only blemish during this time is a no contest against Claudemir Souza in 2007. His sole loss came via unanimous decision to Joao de Souza in his pro debut in 2005.

With his second successful title defence in the books, Pegado is now poised for a showdown with bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz.

During the lead-up to his bout with Wineland, Pegado said can't wait to stake his claim as the top bantamweight on the planet.

"It's not everybody else that wants the fight, I want the fight and he wants the fight," Pegado told the Sun prior to the fight.

"That's what is most important. We want to fight each other and I hope that takes place in the very near future."

As for Cruz, the Alliance MMA fighter hasn't competed since a unanimous-decision win over Demetrious Johnson almost two years ago. While preparing for a rubber match against Urijah Faber last year, he suffered a torn ACL. Pegado then went on to capture the interim strap with a unanimous-decision win against Faber last summer.

Following an unsuccessful cadaver graft -- Cruz's body rejected the donor ligament -- he was once again forced under the knife. This time, he opted for a patellar tendon graft, where tendon and bone was taken from his own knee, and has been on the slow road to recovery since. He is expected to return early next year.

However, should his recovery be further delayed, UFC president Dana White has hinted the promotion may be forced to strip him of the title.

During a recent interview with the Sun, Cruz remained confident he will be able to compete in early 2014. Though he had no preference ahead of Pegado's title defence against Wineland, he said fans want to see him face the Nova Uniao fighter.

"I believe the fans would want me to fight (Barao)," Cruz said. "That's just my personal opinion. Does it matter? It really doesn't because the whole goal in this game, if you're fighting, is to be a world champion. That means whoever wins that fight between Eddie Wineland and Barao is the guy that I want to fight. But for the fans, I believe the more interesting fight would be Barao.

"I've stayed positive pretty much right after the injury. It's not an option if you're going to try and make a comeback. It's the only thing you can do. So anybody who's had any injury at all, the only thing they can do is be positive. Being negative does nothing."

Renan Pegado defends title with spectacular TKO over Eddie Wineland

Renan (Barao) Pegado staged his second successful interim bantamweight title defence, netting a spectacular TKO win over Eddie Wineland in the co-main event of UFC 165 at the Air Canada Centre on Saturday.

Wineland got off to a good start, though, backing Pegado up with punches throughout the first round and disrupting the Brazilian's rhythm.

In the second, Pegado cracked the inaugural WEC 135-pound titleholder with a spinning back kick to the face. He then delivered a series of punches on the mat, forcing referee Yves Lavigne to jump in and save Wineland.

"I don't practice that very often because you can hurt people," Pegado said through his translator. "But in my fights, I've always tried that.